#Balochistan insurgency

[emergingpakistan]

ایں جہالت بزورِ بازو نیست

جو جو تاریخ و جغرافیے سے عاری اینکرز اور ’’سینئر جونیئر ‘‘ تجزیہ کار چابی بھرے بھالو کی طرح پاک ایران تعلقات کو پاک بھارت اور پاک افغان تعلقات کے روایتی بھاشنیے پلڑے میں رکھ کے ’’ منہ توڑ ، دندان شکن ‘‘ جیسی لفظیات استعمال کر رہے ہیں انھیں شاید اندازہ ہی نہیں کہ وہ کیا کر رہے ہیں۔ انھیں شاید یہ اندازہ بھی نہیں کہ افغان، بھارت پاکستان تعلقات اور ایران پاک تعلقات کے بارے میں ریاستی بیانیہ بالکل مختلف اور مبنی بر احتیاط ہے۔ انھیں شاید یہ بھی اندازہ نہیں کہ ہر بحران پوائنٹ اسکورنگ اور بڑھ چڑھ کے موسمی وفاداریاں ظاہر کرنے کا نہیں ہوتا بلکہ ہر مناقشے کو اس کے اپنے تناظر میں کامن سنس کے ساتھ پرکھنے کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے۔ مگر ایں جہالت بزورِ بازو نیست۔ کتنے لوگ جانتے ہیں کہ پاکستان قائم ہوتے ہی سب سے پہلے جس ملک نے اس کے وجود کو پہلے ہی روز سفارتی طور پر تسلیم کیا وہ ایران تھا۔ پاکستان نے سب سے پہلے جس ملک میں اپنا سفیر ( راجہ غضنفر علی خان ) مقرر کیا اور مئی انیس سو اڑتالیس میں سفارتی دفتر کھولا وہ تہران تھا۔ پہلے وزیرِ اعظم لیاقت علی خان نے مئی انیس سو انچاس میں جس ملک کا پہلا اسٹیٹ وزٹ کیا وہ ایران تھا۔

رضا شاہ پہلوی پہلے حکمران تھے جنھوں نے مارچ انیس سو پچاس میں پاکستان کا دورہ کیا اور دو طرفہ دوستی معاہدہ طے پایا۔ (جب کہ بھارت سے ایران کے رسمی سفارتی تعلقات مارچ انیس سو پچاس میں یعنی تقسیم کے تین برس بعد قائم ہوئے۔ شاہ ایران نے دلی کا پہلا دورہ فروری انیس سو چھپن میں کیا۔ مسز اندرا گاندھی پہلی بھارتی حکمران تھیں جنھوں نے انیس سو چوہتر میں ایران کا سرکاری دورہ کیا)۔ پچاس کی دہائی میں پاکستان اور ایران امریکی حمایت یافتہ سیٹو اور سینٹو میں شامل رہے۔ انیس سو چونسٹھ میں ایوب خان کی تجویز پر ایران اور ترکی نے سہ طرفہ علاقائی تعاون کا سمجھوتہ آر سی ڈی کیا۔ اس کی افادیت کو پاکستانی تعلیمی نصاب میں بھی شامل کیا گیا ( یہ تجربہ سارک، روڈ اینڈ بیلٹ، شنگھائی کوآپریشن کاؤنسل، ہارٹ آف ایشیا سے بہت پہلے کا ہے)۔ ایران میں بھلے شاہی دور رہا یا انقلابی۔ مسئلہ کشمیر پر ایرانی موقف کبھی بھی بھارت کے حق میں نہیں رہا۔ 

انیس سو پینسٹھ کی جنگ میں جن ممالک نے پاکستان کا کھل کے ساتھ دیا وہ چین ، ایران اور انڈونیشیا تھے۔ اس جنگ کے دوران ایران نے پاک فضائیہ کو لاجسٹک سہولتیں بھی فراہم کیں۔ انیس سو اکہتر کی خانہ جنگی کے دوران بھی ایران نے اسے پاکستان کا اندرونی معاملہ قرار دیتے ہوئے غیر جانبدار رویہ برتا نیز مشرقی و مغربی پاکستان کی قیادت کے درمیان ثالثی کی بھی پیش کش کی۔ بھٹو صاحب کے دور میں خلیجی ممالک سے پاکستان کے اقتصادی تعلقات میں اضافہ ہوا۔ مگر پاکستان کے صنعتی سیکٹر میں ایرانی سرمایہ کاری بھی بڑھی۔ انیس سو تہتر میں بلوچستان میں بدامنی سے نمٹنے کے لیے وفاقی حکومت نے جو آپریشن شروع کیا۔اس میں بھی ایرانی حکومت نے پاکستانی اسٹیبلشمنٹ کی اسٹرٹیجک مدد کی تاکہ بے چینی کا دائرہ وسیع ہو کر ایرانی بلوچستان اور سیستان تک نہ پھیل جائے۔ مگر بلوچستان کے دونوں اطراف آباد قبائل کے رابطوں اور آمدو رفت اور غیر رسمی تجارتی لین دین میں کوئی رکاوٹ کھڑی نہیں کی۔

بھارت اور افغانستان کے برعکس پاکستان اور ایران کا سرحدی حد بندی پر کبھی کوئی جھگڑا یا دعویٰ نہیں رہا۔ انقلاب کے بعد مجاہدینِ ِ خلق سمیت متعدد ایرانی منحرفین نے پاکستان میں پناہ لی۔ نئی مذہبی قیادت چہار جانب انقلاب ایکسپورٹ کرنے کی حامی تھی۔ چنانچہ پاکستان کے اندر بھی اسے فرقہ وارانہ زاویے سے دیکھا جانے لگا اور اس کے منفی اثرات بھی سامنے آئے (پراکسیوں کے جواب میں پراکسیاں پیدا کی گئیں جو اپنے ہی سماجی دھاگے کو چبانے لگیں)۔ انیس سو اناسی میں افغانستان میں براہ ِ راست سوویت مداخلت کے سبب پاکستان، خلیجی ممالک اور امریکا کا جو اسٹرٹیجک اتحاد ابھر کے سامنے آیا اس کے سبب بھی ایران نے خود کو علاقائی گھیراؤ میں محسوس کیا۔ تناؤ طرح طرح سے ظاہر ہونے لگا۔ حتی کہ ایرانی عدالتی نظام کے سربراہ آیت اللہ خلخالی نے اپنے بیان میں یہ تک کہا کہ پاکستانی عوام کو چاہیے کہ وہ امریکا نواز فوجی حکومت کا تختہ الٹ دیں۔ مگر پاکستانی حکومت کو یہ بھی بتا دیا گیا کہ یہ ایران کی ریاستی پالیسی ہرگز نہیں۔

جب مجاہدینِ خلق کے خلاف ایرانی حکومت نے بیرونِ ملک کارروائیاں شروع کیں تو پاکستان بھی اس کی زد میں آیا۔ کوئٹہ اور کراچی میں انیس سو ستاسی میں فریقین کی مسلح جھڑپوں میں ہلاکتیں بھی ہوئیں۔ پاکستان نے تہران پر واضح کر دیا کہ اس سطح کی کارروائیاں ہرگز قابلِ قبول نہیں۔ اسی عرصے میں جنرل ضیا الحق نے ایران عراق جنگ کے خاتمے کے لیے اسلامی کانفرنس کے پلیٹ فارم سے ثالثی کی بھی ناکام کوشش کی۔ ایران گیس کے ذخائر کی پیداوار کے لحاظ سے دوسرا بڑا اور تیل کی پیداوار کے لحاظ سے چوتھا بڑا ملک ہے۔ مگر پاکستان ہمسائیگی کے باوجود اس سے کماحقہ فائدہ نہیں اٹھا پایا۔ اس بابت امریکی دباؤ اور خلیجی ریاستوں کے ساتھ تعلقاتی نزاکتیں ہمیشہ آڑے آتی رہیں۔ اس کی ایک مثال پاک ایران گیس پائپ لائن ہے جو پاکستان کو توانائی کے بحران سے خاصی حد تک نجات دلا سکتی تھی مگر دو ہزار بارہ سے اب تک یہ منصوبہ ٹھپ ہے۔ البتہ مکران ریجن کے لیے ایرانی بجلی کی فراہمی کا منصوبہ مقامی سطح پر خاصی حد تک کامیاب ہے اگرچہ پاک ایران سرحد پر حفاظتی باڑھ بھی لگ چکی ہے۔

اس کے باوجود منشیات، تیل اور مسلح افراد کی غیر قانونی آمد و رفت کے مسئلے پر قابو نہیں پایا جا سکا۔ اگر دونوں ریاستیں چاہیں تو طے شدہ ��قامی سیکیورٹی میکنزم پر عمل پیرا ہو کے ان مسائل کا سدِ باب بھی کوئی مسئلہ نہیں۔ مگر علاقائی اسٹرٹیجک گیم میں ریاستوں کو اپنے قلیل اور طویل مفادات کے لیے ایک دوسرے کو حد میں رکھنے اور چیک کرنے کے لیے پیادوں کی ضرورت ہوتی ہے۔ اس کے علاوہ کروڑوں ڈالر پیدا کرنے والی غیر قانونی معیشت سے بھی سرحد کے آر پار بہت سے طاقتوروں کی روزی روٹی وابستہ ہوتی ہے۔ کبھی کبھی یہ مفاداتی تضادات اچھل کے سامنے آ جاتے ہیں اور بیچ چوراہے میں بھانڈا بھی پھوٹ جاتا ہے۔  افغانستان جو پاکستان کے ساتھ ڈیورنڈ لائن کے تنازعے میں مسلسل تاریخی فریق ہے اور بھارت جس کے ساتھ تعلقات نارمل رکھنے کا عمل ایک ٹیڑھی کھیر ہے۔ ان دونوں کے برعکس ایران پاکستان کے درمیان ایسا کوئی تاریخی یا جغرافیائی تنازعہ نہیں جسے جواز بنا کے دونوں ممالک ایک دوسرے کے مسلسل درپے ہوں۔ 

چین دونوں کا مشترکہ دوست ہے اور دونوں ممالک میں اس کی اربوں ڈالر کی سرمایہ کاری ہے۔ چین کبھی نہیں چاہے گا کہ کسی ایک فریق کی وقتی جذباتیت اور بے وقوفی سے اس کے علاقائی مفادات میں وہ آگ لگ جائے جس پر ہاتھ تاپنے کو بھارت اور مغربی دنیا سمیت کئی شکاری تیار بیٹھے ہیں۔ لہٰذا پاکستان ایران کے مابین جو بھی گرم سرد ہے وہ بقول ایک سفارت کار بہت آسانی سے مینیج ایبل ہے۔ چنانچہ میری اپنی میڈیا برادری سے درخواست ہے کہ اس معاملے کو حق و باطل کی لڑائی اور دندان شکن اور منہ توڑ قرار دینے سے پرہیز کریں۔ ضروری نہیں کہ ہر خواہش پوری بھی ہو جائے۔ ریاستیں اپنے حساب سے چلتی ہیں تیرے میرے موڈ سے نہیں۔

وسعت اللہ خان 

بشکریہ ایکسپریس نیوز

[captain-price-unofficially]

Balochistan, Pakistan: A BLF insurgent somewhere in the mountains with an Iranian made SVD. 2023

[tentacion3099]

Balochistan Insurgents and their guns

Baloch Tribal Milita/Mafia gunman with his ex-ANA M16A4 & ACOG somewhere out in the desert

[beardedmrbean]

Unidentified gunmen shot and killed at least seven workers in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, police said on Thursday.

According to police official Mohsin Ali, gunmen stormed into a house some 25 kilometers (15 miles) east of the port city of Gwadar, and shot the workers while they were asleep. 

The coastal town of Gwadar is the site of several Beijing-backed projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor investment, which is part of the Belt and Road Initiative.

The victims, who were from the central Pakistani province of Punjab, were running a barber shop, Ali said.

However, police said they believed the attack was not related to their jobs. Previous attacks claimed by the Pakistani Taliban near the Afghan border in the north were believed to have been motivated by a militant ban on Western-style beard trimming and haircuts.

Incident follows similar attack last month

Although no group has claimed responsibility for the killings, it follows a pattern of ethnically-motivated attacks in the restive Balochistan province. 

Last month, the so-called Balochistan Liberation Army claimed responsibility for killing several workers who were abducted from a bus on a highway.

Balochistan, a mineral-rich region, is home to a decades-old insurgency led by ethnic Baloch guerillas fighting the government. 

The separatists, who oppose Chinese investments, have long complained that they do not get a fair share of the province's profits.

The Baloch are an ethnic group living on both sides of the Iran-Pakistan border and into parts of southern Afghanistan in an area roughly the size of France. The Pakistani province of Balochistan forms the largest part.

Balochs accuse both governments of systematic discrimination and plundering their region. Several groups of militant insurgents have carried out attacks on both sides of the border.

[eris-and-lokis-love-child]

240 years puts us back in 1786. Very end of the Afsharid dynasty. In that year, there was a civil war going on that resulting in the Qajar Dynasty taking over. Mind you, they didn't control all of Iran. The Zand Dynasty also held parts of Iran during the Afsharid time, but they were taken by Qajar as well.

The Qajar Dynasty, in 1795, captured and sacked Tbilisi, and reconquered the Caucasus and Georgia. They fought Russia during the Persian expedition, and while Russia won tactically, strategically Persia won. There was the Russo-Persian War of 1804, started by Iran, which resulted in them losing most of the Caucasus to Russia. In 1816, they took Herat, but were forced to retreat. In 1818, Persia invaded after Herat again, but after a battle where both sides retreated, nothing much happened.. They attacked the Ottomans in the Ottoman-Persian War of 1821, and while they won, the result was a status quo ante bellum. The Russo-Persian War of 1826, started by a rebellion in previously Iranian held parts of the Caucasus, resulted in Iran completely losing the Caucasus. They attacked Herat again in 1837, successfully taking it, but eventually withdrawing from British forces. In 1856, they took Herat, then put a puppet in, then attacked again, occupied, then withdrew from Herat. They put down two uprisings, one during the Herat saga, one in 1879. The Persian Constitutional Revolution (1905-1911) was a funky bit, which had Russia, supporting the Qajaris, ending up occupying northern Iran until 1917. Another rebellion from 1911-1913 was suppressed. Sweden helped Iran deal with anti-Qajar insurgents from 1911-1916, when Sweden withdrew, citing neutrality in WW1. And in WW1, Iran was part of a 3 way war between itself, Russia and the British Empire, and the Ottoman and German Empires, that ended in a stalemate. In 1921, there was a coup d'etat. and by 1925, the Pahlavi dynasty took over.

In the first Iraqi-Kurdish War (1961-1970), Iran and Israel supported the KDP against Iraq and Syria. In the second Iraqi-Kurdish War (1974-75), Iran fought on the side of the KDP. And lost. In 1974-1975, Iran also fought Iraq over a territorial dispute, and won. Then the Islamic Republic took over.

The Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) was a response to Iraqi invasion, again over those same territorial disputes. The Tanker War saw both Iran and Iraq attacking shipping in the Persian Gulf. Iran has attacked Israel multiple times, directly and via proxy, from 1985 to the present day. Iran joined the initial invasion of Afghanistan, but withdrew after Bush's 'Axis of Evil' speech. It has been involved in a number of border skirmishes with Afghanistan. It has backed the Houthis in Yemen.

Not included in this are the various civil wars and rebellions. During the Islamic Republic, it has not attacked as often because lots of Iran (Sistan, Balochistan, Kurdistan) are trying to become independent, tying up its forces. It has also backed a number of neighboring governments against groups such as ISIL, it's supported rebellions in Bahrain, the current Syrian government during its civil war, and Iraq against ISIL.

Iran is one of the three large powers in the Middle East, and a lot of its actions are about maintaining that power, and trying to diminish the power of the other two, Israel and Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia was about to normalize relations with Israel, which led directly to October 7th.

Amir Amini is an idiot at best, both of his statements are false.

[head-post]

Gunmen killed 20 miners in Balochistan

Attackers stormed a coal mine in Balochistan province and surrounded the workers before opening fire, according to Pakistani police.

Militants killed 20 miners and wounded seven others in an attack on a small private coal mine in southwestern Pakistan late Thursday night, police official Humayun Khan Nasir reported.

A group of armed men attacked the Junaid Coal company mines in the Duki area in the wee hours using heavy weapons.

The attack took place east of the city of Quetta, the capital of the troubled Balochistan province. The perpetrators also fired rockets and grenades at the mines.

Balochistan, Pakistan’s southwestern province bordering Afghanistan and Iran, is the country’s poorest and least populated province. Rebel groups waged a separatist insurgency there for decades, complaining that Islamabad and the richer Punjab province were unfairly exploiting their resources.

The Pakistani government also tried to use military force to end the insurgency.

The Interior Ministry this week warned the country’s four provinces to step up security measures. Separatist groups and the Pakistani Taliban could be planning attacks in the region, according to the report.

The warning came as Pakistan is set to host the Shanghai Co-operation Organisation summit in the capital Islamabad next week. Senior Chinese representatives will also attend.

Read more HERE

[mybharatguru]

Balochistan Liberation Force's attacks against Pakistan increase…

Attacks against Pakistan by the Balochistan Liberation Army have increased following the visit of China’s Army Chief of Army Staff, Lee Qioming, to Islamabad. Currently, the Balochistan insurgency poses a major threat to Pakistan. A news package about it. The merger of Balochistan with Pakistan on 27 March 1948 was not by the will of the Baloch people but by military compulsion. Beginning in…

[iasguidance]

Coordinated Attacks by Separatists in Balochistan

Context: Thirty-nine people were killed in a series of coordinated attacks by Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) terrorists in Balochistan province. The separatist assaults took place in Musakhel and Qalat/Kalat districts. Beyond these attacks, insurgents also targeted regional infrastructure and security, striking in Bolan, Mastung, and Gwadar. Balochistan has been the epicentre of a prolonged…

[jobaaj]

🚨𝐔𝐧𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐢𝐧 𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐧𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐡𝐨𝐨𝐝🚨 𝐓𝐞𝐫𝐫𝐨𝐫 𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐢𝐧 𝐏𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐧!! 🤔 𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐝?

🚨 Recently, there hasn’t been a single day when Pakistan hasn’t made headlines.

⚠️ Just yesterday, the troubled nation faced a devastating militant attack in the Balochistan region!

💔 Reports indicate that over 100 military personnel lost their lives in this tragic incident!!

���� 𝐖𝐡𝐲?

🎯 The Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) has claimed responsibility for this attack.

🕰️ For those unaware, the Baloch struggle has been ongoing for several decades.

⚔️ The BLA, one of the largest ethnic insurgent groups, has been fighting the Pakistani Central Government for years!

💢 They accuse the government of unjustly exploiting the region's resources while mistreating its people.

🌍 The BLA demands the expulsion of Pakistan and China and seeks complete independence for the region!

😲𝐈𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐥𝐲: - Within 6 hours of launching ‘Operation Herof’, the BLA killed 102 Pakistani soldiers and captured multiple highways across Balochistan! - Some reports suggest that the militants carried out ethnic killing too!! - Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif and President Asif Ali Zardari have condemned the attack and vowed to investigate & eliminate the terrorists! ❓𝚆̲𝚒̲𝚕̲𝚕̲ 𝙿̲𝚊̲𝚔̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚝̲𝚊̲𝚗̲ 𝚎̲𝚟̲𝚎̲𝚛̲ 𝚋̲𝚎̲ 𝚏̲𝚛̲𝚎̲𝚎̲ 𝚘̲𝚏̲ 𝚝̲𝚎̲𝚛̲𝚛̲𝚘̲𝚛̲𝚒̲𝚜̲𝚖̲?? Follow Jobaaj Stories (the media arm of Jobaaj.com Group for more)

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[kimskashmir]

More than 70 dead after militant attacks in Pakistan's Balochistan

QUETTA, PAKISTAN — At least 73 people were killed in Pakistan’s province of Balochistan when separatist militants attacked police stations, railway lines and highways, officials said Monday, noting that security forces have launched retaliatory operations. The assaults were the most widespread in years by ethnic militants fighting a decades-long insurgency to win secession of the resource-rich…

[xtruss]

Global Times Investigates: Evidences, Sources Prove Fascist Terrorist India 'Supports Terrorism' in Pakistan's Balochistan Province

— Huang Lanlan and Cui Fandi | January 22, 2024

Volunteers carry a blast victim on a stretcher at a hospital in Quetta, capital of Balochistan province, on September 29, 2023, after a suicide bombing in Mastung district that killed nearly 60. Pakistani officials told media that India's intelligence agency, the Research & Analysis Wing, was involved in the incident. Photo: VCG

There are "Solid Bits of Evidence" proving that India supports terrorist forces in some Pakistani areas like Balochistan province, providing them with money, weapons, and training, some sources close to the matter told the Global Times.

While continually suppressing some of its rivals and neighbors in the international community with the excuse of anti-terrorism, India has secretly funded terrorist forces in Pakistan, in various parts of the South Asian country, such as its separatist-plagued Balochistan, inciting local secessionists to undermine regional stability through terrorist attacks, they revealed.

Through looking into historical materials and related news reports from both Pakistani and Indian media sources, as well as speaking with sources and observers who are familiar with the situation in Balochistan, the Global Times found that India has a long history of backing terrorism in Pakistan.

'Concrete Evidence'

In December 2023, a commander of the Baloch National Army (BNA) separatist militant group, who had surrendered himself to the Pakistani government, disclosed that India has been secretly supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan and financing separatist forces in the region.

According to Pakistani media sources, commander Sarfraz Ahmed Bungulzai made the announcement at a press conference in Quetta, the capital city of Balochistan. Bungulzai said that he thought his armed struggle was for Baloch rights, but later he realized that "India is involved in all these conspiracies."

Bungulzai mentioned a helicopter crash in 2022, in which six Pakistani army officials, including a general, were martyred. He said at the press conference that the secessionist group Baloch Raj Aajoi Sangar (BRAS) had taken responsibility for the incident at India's command.

"And after taking money from India, they shed the blood of their own Baloch," said Bungulzai, according to Pakistani news website Dawn.

A Pakistani source told the Global Times that once again, it shone a light on India's behind-the-scenes villainy.

However, Chinese observers said the commander's surrender does not mean the collapse of the BNA, the group may have an impact on similar terrorist and separatist forces there.

Apart from the latest case pointing to India, a few years back, there was another case that indicated that India was probably supporting terrorism in Pakistan.

In March 2016, Pakistan's Inter Services Public Relations released a confessional video statement of an Indian spy agent named Kulbhushan Yadav (An Indian Navy Officer), who was reportedly arrested red-handed earlier that month while attempting to infiltrate Pakistan from the border area.

According to an article by the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP), Yadav said in the video that he was a serving officer of the Indian Navy, and did intelligence gathering for Indian agencies under the cover name Hussein Mubarik Patel.

"I was picked up by RAW (the Research and Analysis Wing, India's alleged external intelligence agency) in 2013 end," Yadav said. "My purpose was to hold meetings with Baloch insurgents and carry out activities with their collaboration. These activities have been of [a] criminal nature, leading to the killing of or maiming of Pakistani citizens."

Multiple instances have been highlighted by Pakistan's security authorities on some international forums, illustrating how the RAW funds elements in Pakistan to spread unrest, observer Ali Abbas Ramay, a journalist with the City News Network Pakistan, told the Global Times.

"Proof of India's involvement in creating the BLA has been presented, including Yadav's confessions," Ramay said.

The clues of India's connection with terrorist forces in Pakistan could also be found in a few Indian media reports.

The Hindu, for instance, published an article in July 2019, stating "It is established that BLA (Baloch Liberation Army) Commanders, in the past, had sought medical treatment in India's hospitals, often under disguise or with fake identities." Pakistan designated the BLA as a terrorist organization in 2006.

The Hindu article referred to BLA's militant commander who "was based in Delhi for at least six months in 2017," to receive "extensive treatment for kidney-related ailments." It is known that Baloch sardars "maintained warm personal ties with various Indian political figures," the article said.

Some of the related evidence has been made public. Many other concrete forms of evidence show that India backs terrorism in Pakistan, although they have not yet been released for a variety of reasons, said a source close to the situation in Balochistan.

"We have had the evidence long before," the source told the Global Times. He said that he was "100 percent" sure that India has been funding the terrorist forces in Balochistan.

Double Standard in Fighting Terrorism

Some Pakistani scholars believe that India has a long history of continuous interference in Pakistan's affairs.

For example, scholar M. Ikram Rabbani wrote in his book Comprehensive Pakistan Studies that the interference "can be traced back to the times of independence from the British rule."

In his book, Rabbani cited Subrahmaniyam, a former director of the then Indian Institute of Defence Studies, who said during a symposium in March 1971 that "what India must realize that the breakup of Pakistan is in our interest and an opportunity which will never come again."

Worse still, while supporting separatist groups to commit terrorist attacks in regions like Balochistan, India is good at taking the habitual tactic of a thief crying "stop thief" in the international community, while slinging mad at Pakistan, Pakistani and Chinese observers noted.

India employs a consistent double standard toward terrorism, said Ye Hailin, deputy director of the National Institute of International Strategy of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. "If you look at India's media and think tank reports, you will find that their descriptions of the terrorist attacks in Balochistan are completely different from those of the situation in Kashmir," Ye told the Global Times.

Ramay echoed Ye's words, saying the evidence of India's adoption of double standard in countering terrorism "is evident."

He pointed out that India has sought to tarnish Pakistan's image globally by leveling serious allegations of terrorism, aiming to deter investments and striving to include Pakistan in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) blacklist.

The blacklist contains countries that the FATF deems to be non-cooperative in the global fight against money laundering and terrorist financing.

"China firmly opposes double standard in counterterrorism," noted Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning at a press conference on December 27, 2023, while responding to a question asking about its comments on then-recent media reports, which said that the surrendered BNA commander disclosed that India has been secretly supporting terrorist activities in Balochistan.

"Terrorism is humanity's common enemy," Mao said. "To support and use terrorist groups and let them thrive out of one's selfish interests at the expense of international and regional security benefits no one and will only backfire."

Pakistani police officers and investigators examine a burned van after a blast at the entrance of the Confucius Institute at Karachi University on April 26, 2022. The Baloch Liberation Army claimed responsibility for the bombing. Photo: VCG

China-aid Projects Become Targets of Terror Attacks

For years, China has been helping in economic development that has benefited local people through various investment and assistance projects across Pakistan.

The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), for instance, is a flagship project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China. Launched in 2013, it connects Pakistan's southwest Gwadar Port with Kashi in Northwest China's Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region, contributing to Pakistan's infrastructure through energy, transport, and industrial cooperation.

China has been a true development partner to Pakistan through the CPEC and BRI projects, said Nouman Rashid, a media advisor of Pakistani media GNN News. "No matter how many problems may come up or whichever Pakistani political party comes into power, these projects are of the people and for the people," Rashid told the Global Times.

However, these projects became a target of some terrorist forces in Pakistan, who "believe that if they can hurt the Chinese nationals in Pakistan through terrorism, the BRI and CPEC projects can be compromised," Moiz Farooq, executive editor of Pakistan-based Daily Ittehad Medis Group, told the Global Times.

Some terrorist activities are supported by Pakistan's rivals who "always intend to sabotage the friendship between China and Pakistan," he added.

The suicide bombing which took place outside the University of Karachi's Confucius Institute on April 26, 2022, was a typical tragedy targeting Chinese nationals in Pakistan, which killed three Chinese nationals and a local driver. The BLA claimed responsibility for the bombing the following day, and warned of more deadly attacks on Chinese targets.

Trying to split and destabilize Pakistan is the main purpose behind India's backing of terrorism in regions like Balochistan, said Liu Zongyi, director of the Center for South Asia Studies at the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies. "And now there is another purpose: To obstruct and undermine the construction of the CPEC."

Balochistan is a key region of the CPEC, Liu said. "India supports separatism and terrorism in Balochistan and other regions in Pakistan, so as to weaken both Pakistan and China," he told the Global Times. "From the beginning, India has seen the CPEC as a geopolitical project that will hurt its so-called new opportunities in South Asia."

To help maintain regional stability in some Pakistani areas, apart from the current anti-terrorism cooperation, China has made great efforts to support local economic and social development, and improve the living standards of the people there, trying hard to eliminate the root causes of terrorism and separatism at the source, Liu said.

"China's projects are most beneficial for the people of Balochistan," noted Ramay. He mentioned that the Pakistan-China Friendship Hospital in Balochistan was recently completed, saying the hospital is "a major project to improve access to quality medical services in the region."

"Today, the [China-aided] New Gwadar International Airport, hospitals, and mega projects for clean water, have been completed, bringing relief to the people of Balochistan," said Ramay.

[awaisdilshadme-blog]

Iran has targeted two strongholds of the Sunni extremist group Jaish al-Adl (known in Iran as Jaish al-Durm) in the Ko-e-Sabz region of Pakistan's southwestern Balochistan province with precision missiles and drones. It was announced that it had been destroyed using an attack.  This was reported by Iran's state news agency Tasnim. Tuesday's attack came after Iran launched missiles into northern Iraq and Syria on Monday. This is the latest escalation in hostilities in the Middle East, with Israel's ongoing war in Gaza potentially leading to a broader regional conflict.  The newspaper described the airstrike as a "violation of  airspace within Pakistan's territory by Iran." "It is even more worrying that this illegal act took place despite the existence of multiple communication channels between Pakistan and Iran," the ministry said. Pakistan on Wednesday recalled its ambassador to Iran and suspended all high-level visits to Iran. You can also read Iran's attacks on insurgent bases in Panjgur. "Iran's blatant and unprovoked violation of Pakistan's sovereignty last night is a violation of international law and the purposes and principles of the  United Nations Charter, " Pakistan Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mumtaz Baloch said in a televised address. He said Iran's ambassador to Pakistan should not return from his recent visit to Iran and warned that "Pakistan reserves the right to respond to this illegal act. " China has called on Iran and Pakistan to exercise restraint in managing the ongoing conflict following the deadly attack. China's Foreign Ministry on Wednesday called on the two countries to "avoid measures that could lead to escalation of tensions and cooperate to maintain peace and stability in the region.

" A spokesperson for India's Ministry of External Affairs said the attack was "an issue between Iran and Pakistan" but stressed that India has "zero tolerance for terrorism".

Read more: https://adnewsmafia.blogspot.com/2024/01/pakistan-strongly-condemned-iranian.html

[mariacallous]

The U.S. military retreated from Afghanistan two years ago, leaving behind weapons that are now turning up in far-flung trouble spots where terrorists are fighting and killing America’s allies. In markets that have sprung up across the southern and eastern badlands, where the hottest fighting of the war took place, merchants with Taliban permits are offering U.S.-made automatic assault rifles and handguns for sale alongside hardware from Russia, Pakistan, China, Turkey, and Austria. Business, like terrorism, is thriving.

Under weather-beaten tarps slung across wooden poles, in isolated strip malls deep in the desert, or laid out on dusty carpets along bumpy tracks off the major highways, these ad hoc weapons bazaars are offering rockets and bombs, shoulder-fired grenade launchers, night vision goggles, sniper rifles and scopes, and ammunition. The wares are priced in afghanis, rupees, and dollars; recent price increases reflect the business acumen of one of the world’s richest criminal cartels that has sought to keep tight control on supply.

Left-behind American assault rifles command a premium: an M4 in good condition can fetch up to $2,400, a status symbol with as much cachet in the Himalayan tribal belt as a luxury handbag in Manhattan. In contrast, a Pakistan-made knock-off of an AK-47, the world’s most ubiquitous killing machine, can go for as little as $130.

It’s a new arms race—and it’s threatening global security. The Taliban, allies of if not quite affiliates of al Qaeda, are at the center of a global smuggling web that earns billions of dollars from heroin and meth. Now they appear to be funneling small arms to like-minded extremists inspired by their victory, not least next door. The Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) in Pakistan’s torn northwest tribal regions and separatists in restive Balochistan are using made-in-America weapons to kill police and soldiers in an escalating war against the Pakistani state.

Dramatic TTP videos show apparent attacks on Pakistani police and army outposts by militants armed with American weapons and using night vision and thermal sights, which Afghan Peace Watch said in a new report are “highly sought-after accessories supplied to Afghan Special Forces.” The report quotes a Taliban fighter in Nangarhar province, bordering Pakistan, as saying night vision items sell for $500 to $1,000.

“The proliferation of such arms has not only made it difficult to combat terror networks regionally, the night vision equipment, in particular, is used to target Pakistani security personnel and police on a daily basis,” said Iftikhar Firdous, editor of the Khorasan Diary, an independent organization based in Pakistan that monitors non-state groups.

U.S. assault weapons have reportedly been used in recent attacks by non-state groups in Kashmir, bitterly divided between India and Pakistan, and in Israel’s Gaza Strip. Yasin Zia, formerly a general with the Afghan Army and now leading the opposition Afghanistan Freedom Front, said weapons are also likely going to TTP operatives relocated, in a deal between the Taliban and Pakistan, to northern Afghanistan. “They won’t be welcome and will need to defend themselves” against hostile locals, Zia said.

For the Taliban, who’ve made so much money from other illicit trades, arms deals are just another source of income: The Taliban likely control and tax the new black market, said Asfandyar Mir, a South Asia expert at the U.S. Institute of Peace. And as the Taliban (and allied terrorist groups) seek new recruits, few things talk more eloquently than fancy, deadly kit.

The ubiquitous AK-47 flooded into the Afghan mujahideen for their 1979-1989 war against the Soviets. Easy to maintain, easy to use, lethal, and manufactured more widely than any other gun in history, the AK-47 became the symbol of insurgents everywhere. But it’s still a low-end weapon. Terrorists who are moving on up trade up. TTP and Islamic State propaganda shows “a general trend toward the gradual replacement of Kalashnikov rifles with NATO weapons,” Firdous said. Militants are shown “armed with M24 sniper rifles; M4 carbines with Trijicon ACOG scopes; M16A4 rifles with thermal scopes; M249 machine guns, AMD-65 rifles, M4A1 carbines, and M16A2/A4 assault rifles,” he said.

Thanks to both American largesse and Taliban smuggling networks, those arms are going everywhere. Experts say the same routes that proffer drugs, gems, and assorted other contraband get weapons to Islamist terrorists like al-Shabab in sub-Saharan Africa and Islamic State affiliates in the Philippines, Thailand, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, and the same Persian Gulf countries that produced Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda in the first place. Apart from Afghanistan, where the insurgency ended in victory in August 2021, the number of people killed in terrorist attacks is rising, according to the Global Terrorism Index. The Taliban, who funded their war with drugs and other contraband, continue to reap the profits of death.

And the American largesse that created the Taliban’s boon in the first place was staggering. The U.S. Department of Defense estimated that left-behind stockpiles of arms and vehicles were worth $7.12 billion of the $18.6 billion spent from 2002 on arming the Afghan security forces. “This included roughly 600,000 weapons of all calibers, nearly 300 fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, over 80,000 vehicles of several models, communications equipment, and other advanced materiel such as night vision goggles and biometric systems,” according to the U.S. Special Inspector General for Afghanistan Reconstruction (SIGAR). After the military exit in the summer of 2021, SIGAR quoted a Taliban official as saying, “The group took possession of more than 300,000 light arms, 26,000 heavy weapons, and about 61,000 military vehicles.” That’s on top of what they already had.

Much of this could have been predicted. U.S. material was used by the Taliban for years before the republic collapsed, sold by corrupt, impoverished, or demoralized Afghan forces. The Pentagon never got a handle on exactly what went where.

“What happened in Afghanistan is probably the largest case of diversion in modern history, with the huge quantities of weapons and ammunition that the Taliban received,” Justine Fleischner, a war and weapons expert and head of research at Afghan Peace Watch, told Foreign Policy. “You had a system whereby, of course they know what went into Afghanistan, but there’s no record of what was used, what was broken, what was lost, what needed to be repaired, what was in service, what was out of service. Diversion was happening for the entirety of the U.S. engagement in Afghanistan.”

Research by Afghan Peace Watch and the Small Arms Survey found that weapons markets are proliferating in southern and eastern Afghanistan and in neighboring Pakistan, offering weapons and other equipment from the Afghan battlefield. Clandestine factories are churning out counterfeit guns, like AK-47s. Workshops set up with U.S. funding are back in business, servicing small arms and light weapons as U.S.-trained specialists are invited back to work for the Taliban regime, said Habib Khan Totakhil, Afghan Peace Watch’s founder. Efforts to disarm civilians and demobbed Taliban supporters have fizzled, as it’s just too difficult to keep track of them, and many former fighters regard their guns as their own, rather than the state’s.

The Taliban, Firdous said, have ostensibly banned weapons exports, with much the same energy as it has tackled opium production. The clampdown has led to tighter supply and higher prices—but little more.

“There is much evidence to suggest that these weapons will continue to flow from Afghanistan, making it more difficult for nation-states to combat non-state actors,” Firdous said.

[newslime]

Pakistan suicide bomber kills nine police officers

Security forces have been battling a years-long insurgency by militants in Balochistan demanding a bigger share of the province's wealth, as well as attacks by the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

QUETTA: A suicide bomber killed nine police officers and wounded 16 others Monday in an attack on their truck in southwestern Pakistan, officials said.

Security forces have been battling a years-long insurgency by militants in Balochistan demanding a bigger share of the province's wealth, as well as attacks by the Pakistan Taliban (TTP).

"The suicide bomber was riding a motorbike and hit the truck from behind," senior police official Abdul Hai Aamir told AFP.

The incident took place near Dhadar, the main town of Kachhi district, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of Quetta in Balochistan.

Photos of the aftermath showed the police truck upside down on the road with its windows shattered.

Mehmood Notezai, police chief for Kachhi district, told AFP the officers were returning from a week-long cattle show where they had been providing security.

There has been no claim of responsiblity for the attack.

"Terrorism in Balochistan is part of a nefarious agenda to destabilise the country," Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement released by his office.

Last month five people died when a TTP suicide squad stormed a police compound in the port city of Karachi.

It came just weeks after a bomb blast at a police mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 80 officers -- an attack claimed by a group sometimes affiliated with the TTP.

The country is facing overlapping political, economic and environmental crises, as well as a worsening security situation during which the army and police have been increasingly targeted.

Balochistan is the largest, least populous and poorest province in Pakistan.

It has abundant natural resources, but locals have long harboured resentment, claiming they do not receive a fair share of its riches.

Tensions have been stoked further by a flood of Chinese investment under Beijing's Belt and Road Initiative, which locals say has not reached them.

China is investing in the area under a $54-billion project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, upgrading infrastructure, power and transport links between its far-western Xinjiang region and Pakistan's Gwadar port.

[beardedmrbean]

Two bomb explosions near candidates' offices in the Pakistani province of Balochistan killed at least 28 people and wounded dozens on the eve of general elections, officials said.

The first blast killed 16 people in Pishin district, north of Quetta city.

A second explosion left 12 people dead in Qila Saifullah to the east. There was no immediate claim for the attacks.

The vote has been marred by violence and claims of poll-rigging. Former PM Imran Khan is barred from contesting.

Police are still trying to determine the cause of the two blasts.

Resource-rich Balochistan - Pakistan's largest, and poorest, province - has a history of violence. It has seen a decades-long struggle for greater autonomy by various groups, some of them armed. Islamist militants, including the Pakistani Taliban (TTP), operate along the border with Afghanistan.

The bomb in Pishin, a town about 100km (62 miles) south-east of the Afghan border, went off in front of an independent candidate's party office. The provincial authorities said 25 people were also wounded.

Images on social media showed cars and motorbikes blown apart by the force of the explosion. Officials told the BBC the candidate was meeting his polling agent at the time.

The second blast targeted the election office of the JUI-F party. A senior police official told AFP news agency it took place in the main bazaar of Qila Saifullah, about 190km (120 miles) east of Quetta.

Twenty people were wounded in the incident and the number of casualties in the two attacks could rise, officials said.

There have been violent incidents in both Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces in the week before Thursday's vote, and the violence in Pishin and Qila Saifullah was not unexpected.

In mid-January, Baloch Liberation Army-Azad (BLA) insurgents released a pamphlet after claiming responsibility for bombing an election training office. The pamphlet urged people to boycott the elections. Soon after, reports of hand grenade attacks on political party offices were reported from various cities in the province.

Many voters in Balochistan feel neglected by the country's political parties, given the province has so few seats in parliament. They often feel candidates are foisted on them, with few if any links to Balochistan.

And many feel the vote is unfair. "It is a selection," numerous people told BBC Urdu in the city of Turbat last month.

Following Wednesday's attacks, the Balochistan government said Thursday's vote would proceed as planned.

"Rest assured, we will not allow terrorists to undermine or sabotage this crucial democratic process," provincial information minister Jan Achakzai posted on X, formerly Twitter.

More than 128 million voters are eligible to cast ballots in the election. In Pakistan's first-past-the-post system, 266 of 336 National Assembly seats are directly elected.

But many people are questioning the credibility of the vote as Khan and his party, the PTI, have been sidelined.

The PTI won the largest number of seats in the last general election but Khan was jailed on corruption charges last year and disqualified from running for public office. Last week he was convicted in three other cases and faces years in prison - he says all the charges are politically motivated.

The authorities deny carrying out a crackdown, but many PTI leaders are behind bars, in hiding or have defected. Thousands of the party's supporters were rounded up after protests - at times violent - when Khan was taken into custody last year.

PTI candidates are having to run as independents following the electoral commission's decision to strip the party of its cricket bat symbol. Electoral symbols are vital in helping voters mark their ballots in a country with high rates of illiteracy.

The man tipped to win Thursday's election is three-time former PM Nawaz Sharif, who himself was behind bars at the last election. Analysts say it appears he has done a deal with the military to facilitate his return to politics.

A high turnout will be key to the PTI's chances, many analysts say. How to tackle, and who to blame for, the country's economic crisis will be high in voters' minds. Results must be announced within 14 days of the election.

[hardynwa]

Suicide bomber kills nine police officers in Pakistan

A suicide bomber killed nine police officers and wounded 16 others Monday in an attack on their truck in southwestern Pakistan, officials said. Security forces have been battling a years-long insurgency by militants in Balochistan demanding a bigger share of the province’s wealth, as well as attacks by the Pakistan Taliban (TTP). “The suicide bomber was riding a motorbike and hit the truck from behind,” senior police official Abdul Hai Aamir told AFP. The incident took place near Dhadar, the main town of Kachhi district, about 120 kilometres (75 miles) southeast of Quetta in Balochistan. Photos of the aftermath showed the police truck upside down on the road with its windows shattered. Mehmood Notezai, police chief for Kachhi district, told AFP the officers were returning from a week-long cattle show where they had been providing security. There has been no claim of responsiblity for the attack. “Terrorism in Balochistan is part of a nefarious agenda to destabilise the country,” Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said in a statement released by his office. The country is facing overlapping political, economic and environmental crises, as well as a worsening security situation.– Attacks on the rise – Attacks have been on the rise in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban seized control of Kabul in August 2021, emboldening militant groups along the border which have increasingly targeted security forces. Last month five people died when a TTP suicide squad stormed a police compound in the port city of Karachi. It came just weeks after a bomb blast at a police mosque in the northwestern city of Peshawar killed more than 80 officers — an attack claimed by a group sometimes affiliated with the TTP. “Despite different ideological, ethnic and political outlooks, (militant groups) are all franchises bound by one objective: to hit the security forces and instil a sense of fear and uncertainty in Pakistan,” said Imtiaz Gul, an analyst with Islamabad’s Center for Research and Security Studies. Balochistan, which borders both Afghanistan and Iran, is the largest, least populous and poorest province in Pakistan. It has abundant natural resources, but locals have long harboured resentment, claiming they do not receive a fair share of its riches. Tensions have been stoked further by a flood of Chinese investment under Beijing’s Belt and Road Initiative, which locals say has not reached them. China is investing in the area under a $54 billion project known as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, upgrading infrastructure, power and transport links between its far-western Xinjiang region and Pakistan’s Gwadar port. Read the full article